The Hunger Games Movie: Concerns of a Devoted Fan

By Staff Writer: Alex Pipes

Hell hath no fury like a fandom scorned.

I wonder if The Hunger Games Film’s production crew is taking this fact into consideration?

It’s always a little tumultuous when an author of a beloved book series announces the imminent release of a film adaptation. There is a strange mix of excitement, dread and terrifying, intense passion for justice floating amongst fan sites for the months leading up to the release. I personally know the feeling well. It was the same one I got as a shiny nine year old, staring at the television, realizing I was finally going to be able to see The Boy Who lived with my own eyes.

I went to see Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone on opening night in my hometown. It was the night of my 10th birthday. November 16th, 2001. That night, I knew I had to make movies, and little did I know, the film world was erupting all around me. The books and the anticipated films became an ongoing, international phenomenon. The classic novel-to-film success story.

It is because of that franchise’s success, the world decided that adapting kid’s books and teen fiction to film was now the thing to do. HP revolutionized the way the world enjoys books and films- as one experience. Maybe it was because of Harry Potter, and my unconditional love for their film adaptations, that I was immediately filled with a primal fear when I heard they were going to be adapting Suzanne Collin’s iconic trilogy.
Countless other books have been adapted over the years to be met with terrible results. Not even novels, strictly. Avatar: The Last Airbender, met its death at the hands of M. Night Shyamalan, a sometimes criticized but mostly critically acclaimed writer and director. Novels such as The Golden Compass and The City of Ember, all first volumes in a series of novels, were halted after the first installments, due to bad marketing, direction or popularity.

I felt like a parent. Consumed with an earth-shattering worry for my favorite series of all time. So, in order to calm my feelings a little, I turned to the internet to maybe make me feel like I wasn’t the only one. There I found thousands of other concerned parents. The fans! Oh, the fans! I wasn’t alone, after all. I did notice, however, some of your common concerns were also my own. So as a film student, tribute and social media addict, here are my responses to some of the most popular concerns of the fandoms concerning Gary Ross’ Hunger Games.

The love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale will be fleshed out in the movie, to make it more “sell-able”. I have every expectation, based on the already published spreads from Entertainment Weekly that the triangle will be played up. BUT I don’t think the writers would go so far as to alter the relationship before its natural ark in Catching Fire. I think if the triangle was never formed officially (as it clearly is in the books) they would have more incentive to speed things up, or alter them. But from the first book onward we know that Peeta and Gale are going to cross paths, and I would imagine the only thing they will do is make it clear that Katniss is conflicted, which she is, setting the actual triangle up for the second film.

They will Hollywood-ize the film, make it smooth and aesthetically pleasing.

We have to be realistic. This is western cinema. The people will be beautiful, and some things will be “prettier” than the book described them. That being said, so much of the theme of the books is dark and violent, I doubt they will do anything to undermine that. They have already demonstrated that the film, while being PG-13, will have the grungy feel the books do. We will have our Grit!

Gary Ross has next to no experience writing or directing, especially fantasy.

In fantasy, no. In film, heck yes! Gary Ross directed Seabiscuit and Pleasantville. He also wrote them, along with Big, the iconic 80’s movie starring Tom Hanks (which, by the way, is amazing). So yes, his filmography is short, yes, he lacks experience in fantasy. But so did David Yates when he started on Harry Potter, and I don’t see anyone complaining!

The fashion and stylists won’t play as big of a role.

I think even the simple gesture of casting Lenny Kravitz and then publicizing it so much says a lot about how big of a role he will play. It could be the costumes will get downplayed a little, but the costume designer has years of experience in her field, and I do not think we will be disappointed.

The violence of the Games will be downplayed.

Again, I think we need to be realistic. PG-13 allows for violence, but not excessively. I think the brutality will come across just fine, but maybe without the graphic visuals featured in the books.

Danny Elfman composing the score.

Danny Elfman is a genius. Unfortunately, through his long-time dedication to Tim Burton he has earned somewhat of a reputation for “the same old thing”. True, his music sounds similar in each of his films but that is half of what Burton wants. The identity in his films is very strong, and having Elfman’s score helps remind the audience that you’re watching a Burton film. As for Elfman’s ability to compose diverse work, without a doubt. My favorite score from Elfman is the one he did for the British film “Black Beauty in the mid-90s. It is breathtaking and gives me chills every time I listen to it. If any of his non-Burton work is an indication, he will be brilliant.

So as a fellow concerned fan, I can’t tell you not to be worried. I can tell you to have confidence in Suzanne Collins, and trust her not to let them butcher her amazing trilogy. I would take heart in that fact, and not lose faith in, as T would call her, “The goddess”. I have done my research; there is every indication that this series is going to be one for the film history books!

After all, the odds are ever in their favor!